Advertisement
Karen Stintz (yes, that Karen Stintz) as Elvira, a CBC listener as Jian Ghomeshi and a very creative man as the OCADU building
Although one Maple Leaf had trouble finding an appropriate Halloween costume, there were still plenty of great disguises this year. We rounded up the best of those donned by local politicians and celebrities, as well as our favourite Toronto-centric costumes from Twitter (including a baby dressed up in a Toronto Life–approved get-up).
Across the GTA, a new breed of entertainer is making a living and playing to audiences in the tens of millions. Welcome to the era of the professional amateur
Corey Vidal’s videos have been viewed over 64 million times (Image: Corey Vidal)
Blame it on the Biebs. As everyone knows by now, Justin was just a poor tween from Stratford when he uploaded his first homemade videos to YouTube. The clips went viral, and soon Usher and Justin Timberlake were fighting to sign him to their labels. International superstardom, of course, soon followed.
Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier this week, Wayne Gretzky was in town talking, oddly enough, about investment strategy. Apparently, The Great One isn’t only adept at stickhandling behind the net (his office, so to speak); he can also manage your stock portfolio. After all, in this age of Ted Talks and corporate retreats, one of the quickest and easiest ways for the famous and voluble to get even richer is through speaking engagements—and the topics they cover don’t even have to be married with the reason they’re famous in the first place. Gretzky, for example, clocks a $50,000-a-pop speaking fee and a staggering $1 million per annum from TD Bank to talk about money management. And he’s not alone. Here, Gretzky and nine other Toronto notables who are cashing in on the speaking circuit.
Amid the cocktail swilling and celebrity gawking, eating can be an afterthought during TIFF. Good news: there are plenty of excellent restaurants that let you do all three. Here, the glitziest places to dine, drink, and catch starlets cheating on their diets.
Read the rest of this entry »
TIFF can be the most exhausting event of the year—10 days of near constant drinking, schmoozing and stargazing, all, ostensibly, in the name of movies. Choosing the best parties requires insider intelligence and expert planning. Here, a highly discerning look at the festival’s hottest hot spots.
Read the rest of this entry »
Single tickets for the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival go on sale this Sunday, September 2. And with a record 372 films being screened (146 of them world premieres), it can be daunting trying to figure out which ones are actually worth the $20 (or $40, for galas and special presentations) and hours in line. The solution: our guide to the 50 most talked-about movies at the festival this year, in which we scrutinize the advance hype (and the buzz from Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and Venice) to separate the must-sees from the flicks that only a mother could love.
(Image: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Entertainment)
After getting engaged back in 2010, Toronto’s Annex-dwelling, star-powered couple Rufus Wainwright and Jorn Weisbrodt are finally tying the knot tomorrow night with a 250-person bash in Montauk, New York, featuring celebrity guests Princess Leia Carrie Fisher and Yoko Ono, among others. The event is (understandably) being kept hush-hush, but details have, of course, managed to emerge anyway: the duo will reportedly marry in a ceremony at the home of Wainwright’s father, Grammy-winning singer Loudon Wainwright III, then jump into the sea for a quick dip before heading to Shagwong Restaurant, where Wainwright is expected to perform (there is no formal dress code, which makes deciding what to wear for the nuptials–swimming–partying lineup considerably easier). The rumour mill also has it that the pair is asking for funds to put toward their new aluminum Airstream trailer in lieu of traditional wedding gifts, which, if true, is awesome. [Toronto Star]
Yesterday afternoon, Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell arrived at the Hockey Hall of Fame to promote their upcoming film The Campaign—and to, um, meet Mayor Rob Ford. Ferrell sported an L.A. Kings jersey and came bearing coffee, while Galifianakis arrived looking like an aging cub scout and brought a muffin basket (it was adorable—just look at him). It seemed fairly obvious that the comedians were riffing on the city’s mixed feelings about its controversial mayor; a few seconds after Ferrell met the mayor, a reporter asked him if he had any advice for Ford, to which he replied “Who?” Ferrell then turned to the crowd and asked if Ford would be running again. There was a collective “yesssss” followed by awkward silence. As parting gifts, Ford presented the duo with miniature Stanley Cup statuettes, campaign literature and bumper stickers. We believe the expression on Galiafanakis’ face—here—says what we’re all thinking.
Read the rest of this entry »
Last night in Yorkville, rapper (and singer) Drake was spotted at Summer’s Sweet Memories Ice Cream with two pals (one appeared to be recent Worthy 30 recipient Queen Shmink, but Drake’s bodyguards obscured our source’s sight lines). After downing his cup of mango sorbet, Drizzy got up and booked it without saying a word—and his buddies seemed fairly unhappy about the abrupt exit. The two jilted friends sat there until one bitterly commented, “Geeze, I guess you’re driving then.”
(Images: Drake, Brennan Schnell; Queen Shmink, Jenna Marie Wakani)
Funnymen Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell are in town promoting their film The Campaign, and the two will be at the Hockey Hall of Fame at 4 p.m. to pose next to the Stanley Cup. Of course, since it is a public event, a lot of fans are expected, including the biggest fan of them all (perhaps?), Rob Ford, who will, according to a Warner Bros. press release, present the duo with “a special gift.” There are currently rumours that Galifianakis and Ferrell are planning to show up in character, and The Sun reports that Ford is up for anything, including performing in a sketch with the comedians. Unfortunately, nothing has been confirmed. Of course, we wouldn’t mind seeing Ford do some more acting—he was so good the last time.
Tu Ly with Chris Martin (Image: Tu Ly)
Fans have no shame when it comes to snagging a pic with their favourite celebrity: Coldplay’s Chris Martin took the time to pose with Ports 1961 Creative Marketing Director Tu Ly today at what appears to be The Yorkville Club (sweaty workout gear included).
Drake’s making headlines with his purchase of the Hidden Hills, California mansion he has reportedly been renting for the past several months. The massive estate hit the market back in 2009 with an asking price of $27 million, but the thrifty Toronto-born performer managed to snap up the place from former owner Larry Pollack of Saddle Ranch Chop Houses for a mere $7.7 million. The seven bedroom, nine bathroom home is not short on amenities: it boasts an in-home theatre with seating for 24, a volleyball court, wine cellar and tasting room, as well as games and massage rooms. For the athletically inclined, the home has a gym, facilities fit to house five horses (when one isn’t enough), a riding area and a mechanical bull (naturally). There’s also an outdoor pool with waterfalls, a water slide and a grotto to rival the one at the Playboy mansion. We’re patiently awaiting our invite to the house-warming party.
Friday was a scorcher, and Jake Gyllenhaal (sporting a Toronto Blue Jays cap) and Sarah Gadon beat the heat by taking to the Summerhill area for an ice cream cone and a walk in the summer sun. We’re impressed that Jakey G was able to keep the melting cone from getting all over his full beard. This isn’t his first time at the rodeo.
(Images: Sarah Gadon, Canadian Film Centre; Jake Gyllenhaal, lwpkommunikacio)
Alison Pill (Image: Gage Skidmore)
Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom was recently picked up for a second season, and Vulture sat down with Toronto-bred actress Alison Pill to discuss how she’s dealing with Sorkinisms, and how she’s faring with planning her wedding to Jay Baruchel. Here are five things we learned about the young up-and-comer:
1. She still values physical media Read the rest of this entry »
She didn’t own a television when she lived in New York City, but she does admit that she has watched cable news. “I was more reading papers, reading magazines; I’m much more print media,” she says.
Chaz Bono is in town and has been spotted on the set of Toronto’s Degrassi, filming an episode that will air this fall. Bono will play himself in the role of a celebrity judge for a competition at the show’s namesake high school. After a run-in with the cast at the 2011 Emmy Awards, Bono showed interest in appearing on the Canadian drama. Bono, a transgender activist working with Transforming Family, told People that Adam’s storyline (Adam is a transgender character) is particularly important to him: “It means more transgender representation in the pop culture, and it also sends the message to trans teens that they are not alone in their struggles.” Read the entire story [People] »
Advertisement
© 2013. All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited. Toronto Life is a registered trademark of Toronto Life Publishing Company Limited
